Serving tray



Sept. l5, 1942.

E. GRI BBLE y smwmca TRAYy Filed June 4, 1941 20 www Gttorneg 5 Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATEE smear cerros 2 Claims.

This invention relates to serving trays and more especially to one equipped to carry containers such as bottles, glasses and the like.

rIt is a well known fact that when bottles, glasses and the like are placed on ordinary serving trays, there is a tendency for them to slide or over-turn while carrying the same. This overturning results from the lack of lateral support of the containers. In many instances, serving trays of the type disclosed are employed for automobile curb service where it is necessary toY removably aftlx the tray to the sill of the opening or Windowin the car door. These windows are usually of av height slightly greater than many commonly used beverage bottles, and therefore there is not a large amount of clearance between the top of the bottle and the Window head when a bottle is transferred from the tray through the opening. When employing a tray in combination with an automobile for curb service, it is not only necessary to provide means `for supporting the bottles, at a point intermediate the ends thereof against lateral movement and tilting, but it is also necessary to provide means whereby a portion of the lateral support may be removed to allow the bottles to slide laterally along the tray toward the occupants of the automobile without the necessity of lifting the bottles. If this removable lateral support Vis provided, it is necessary to lift the `bottles vertically a suicient distance to permit the bottle bottom toclear the lateral supporting means. With the bottle in this position, the customer usually attemptsA to transfer the same while in upright position through the window opening, and in many instances the top of the bottle will strike the top of the opening resulting in breakage of the bottle or spilling of thecontents thereof.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a serving tray having means for support:

ing containers such as bottles, glasses and the like in upright position thereon, against lateral movement, together with means for removing a portion of the lateral support when desired so as to permit a container to be slid along the bottom of the tray without lifting the container.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which-` Figure 1 is an isometric View of my improved serving tray showing a bottle in dot-dash lines supported thereon;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the serving tray, i

showing the same attached to an automobile door;

Figure v3 is a longitudinal Vertical sectional View taken along the line 3--3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail view showing the latching means for securing the containers against lateral movement on the tray;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 4.

Referring more particularly to the the numeral Ill designates in dotted lines the outline of an automobile door, said door having an opening I I in the upper portion thereof, which opening is adapted to be closed, at times,by a suitable vertically slidable pane I2. The opening has a sill portion Ila and a head portion IIb. With the window pane I2 in lowered position as shown in Figure 2, a suitable serving tray, to Abe later described, is adapted to be supported by the outside of the door IIJ and by the sill Ila so that the contents may be withdrawn from the tray to the insideV of the car through the opening II.

The tray comprises a flat bottom portion I 4 having upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls and end walls I5. Suitable inverted` U- shaped strap iron members I6 are secured to the bottom I4 by any suitable means such as spot welding or the like. These U-shaped memi bers have downwardly extending leg portions Ia,

said .leg portionsserving as supports for the tray when the same is placed on a level surface such as a table and the pair nearest the observer in Figure l also serving as a support for the tray when it is positioned on an automobile door in the manner shown in Figure 2.

The 'bottom I4 also has secured thereto `at a point substantially midway the supports I5, another U-shaped strap member I'I upon which the upper end ol a brace I8 is slidably mounted as at I9. The lower end of the brace I8 has a resilient button or knob 20 thereon which is adapted to engage the outside of the door I0 and thereby supportthe tray in cantilevered position on the outside of the door while two of the legs IEa iit on the interior of the door. In order to ,fprevent rotative movement of the brace I8 around its u per. end when the tray is attached t0 the door, the brace is notched so that the upper portion thereof will contact the lower side of the U- shaped strap iron Il as at 2| (Figure 3).

When the tray is not us'ed in association .with the door Il), it is desirable to retract it to a nonobstructing position. Since the brace I8 is U- shaped in cross section, it is sufficiently wide drawing,

(Figure 3) to envelop the sides of strap iron member 2| The strap iron member 2l has suitable notches 24 cut therein so as to substantially reduce the width thereof. Also the brace has suitable inwardly projecting lugs 23 integral with the intermediate portion thereof, thereby leaving a restricted space 22 therebetween which is slightly wider than the strip II at notches 24. When it is desired to place the brace I8 in a non-obstructing position and around the intermediate portion of U-shaped strap iron I'I, the lower end of the brace is rotated in a clockwise position upwardly about the pivot point I9 to a substantially horizontal position. Then the entire brace is moved along member I'I, that is, to the right in Figure 2 until the two projections 23 pass through notches 24 and on the upper side of the strap iron member I 'I.

As heretofore stated, it is desirable to support the intermediate portions of the container on bottom I4 against lateral movement while carrying the same. This lateral supporting means comprises longitudinally disposed inverted U- shaped plate member 2'I having downwardly depending legs 28, the lower ends of said legs being bent inwardly `and toward each other as at 29 to conform to the inclined sidewalls I5. These legs are secured in the `position shown in Figure 1, by any suitable means such as brackets 30 which brackets are secured tothe leg portion 28 by suitable means such as bolts 3I. The upper ends of the brackets 30 have inwardly projecting leg portions 32, engaging the outer surfaces of legs 28; whereas the lower portion of the brackets 30 have concavo-fconvex hook portions 34 which fit around the bead or rim Ia on the upper portion of pan sidewalls I5.

The U-shaped plate member 2'I has a flat horizontal portion 35 which is substantially parallel to the bottom of the tray. This horizontal portion has suitable notches 36 cut therein which notches have an open side through which bottles or other containers 31 may be laterally inserted or removed while resting upon the bottom of the tray. The purpose of these notches is to support the intermediate portion of the containers in upright position while carrying the same on the tray.

In order to normally close the open sides of the notches 36 to thereby secure the bottles or containers 31 in position, and a-gainst lateral movement in all directions, a suitable means such as rod 38 has one end thereof pvoted las at 38 to one end of U-shaped member 21. 'I'he free end of this rod is adapted to rest on top of a suitable plate bracket 40 at the other end of the U- shaped member 21, said bracket 40 being secured to the vertical leg 28 by any suitable means such las screw 4I. Bracket 40 has an upwardly extending projection 42 integral therewith which serves to prevent lateral movement of the free end of rod 38 when rod 38 is ldisposed in bold line position as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the open sides of all of the notches 36 are -abridged or closed thereby supporting the containers 3'I against lateral movement in all directions.

In order to prevent vertical movement of the free end of the rod 38, a suitable latch 44 is pivoted as at 45 to the bracket 40, said latch having a hook 46 on the upper portion thereof which is adapted to fit over the free end of rod 38 when the rod is in the position shown in Figure 1. The two positions of the latch are shown in Figure 1, the dotted line :position being in a releasing position and the bold line position being in a latched position of the free end of rod 38. In Figure 4, the latch is shown in bold line position when the free end of rod 38 is not conned and in dotted line position when the free end of the rod 38 is confined against vertical movement.

When it is desired to remove the rod 38 from the open sides of the notches 36, the latch 44 is rotated about bolt 45 to dotted line position as shown in Figure 1 and then the rod 38 is rotated about pivot point 39 to dotted line position.

It will be noted by observing Figure 5, that the latch 44 is rotatably mounted around the bolt A45 and also that the bolt 45, in turn, is threadably secured in the bracket or plate member 40. Disposed between the head of the bolt 40 and the face of plate 44 is a spring 46a, which serves to hold the latch 44 in resilient contact with the plate and thereby insures easy operation of the latch. Nut 4'I is provided on the end of bolt 45 which nut serves as a locking means to hold the bolt in the desired position in the plate member 40.

In the drawing and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims. Y

Irelaim:

1. In combination, a tray for supporting containers such as bottles and the like, an inverted U-shaped plate supported by said tray, said plate having a plurality of notches cut in the edge thereof for partially encircling the containers to prevent lateral movement thereof, a rod pivoted at one end of said plate member and adapted to normally abridge the open sides of said notches and means disposed at the other end of said plate for releasably latching the free end of said rod in abridging position.

2. In a serving tray, an inverted U-shaped member having the ends of its legs secured to opposed ends of the tray, the horizontal portion of the member having notches therein =for reception of intermediate portions of bottles, glasses and the like, a rod pivotally secured at one end of the horizontal .portion of the member and being swingable to close the open side of said notches to confine the bottles, glasses and the like in the notches, and means ffor latching the free end of the rod in position. l

EGBERT GRIBBLE. 

